When was the last time you were outside-- walking maybe-- and you stopped to look closely at a beetle or a tree or a stone? This is something I rarely do. But a few days ago I stuffed my Leica in my backpack and went for a bike ride. This was pretty artsy and adventurous of me. How zingy it was to ride around, stop once in a while, and frame all sorts of wild things through my camera's lens.
People reminded me recently that carrying around a real single lens reflex camera and shooting pictures will shift your perspective. Not until the bike ride did I remember this idea. It's true that sometimes you just want to experience what's happening around you. But sometimes it's the better option to stare closely at whatever's out there and record what you see so that later-- hours, years--you can really study these images again.
So go wander outside, look around and see what you see. Paint it, photograph it, sing it! Please let me know what happens.